further instructed Sir Edward Goschen to advise the German Foreign
Office that he, Sir Edward Grey, had that morning proposed to the
German Ambassador in London,

_that if Germany could get any reasonable proposal put
forward, which made it clear that Germany and Austria were
striving to preserve European peace_, and that Russia and
France would be unreasonable if they rejected it, _I would
support it at St. Petersburg and Paris_, and go the length
of saying that, if Russia and France would not accept it,
_his Majesty's Government would have nothing more to do with
the consequences_; that, otherwise, I told the German
Ambassador that if France became involved we should be drawn
in.[76]

[Footnote 76: English _White Paper_, No. 111.]

What, then, was the position when the last fatal step was taken? The
Czar had pledged his personal honor that no provocative action should
be taken by Russia, while peace parleys were in progress, and the
Russian Foreign Minister had agreed to cease all military
preparations, provided that Austria would recognize that the question
of Servia had become one of European interest, and that its
sovereignty would be respected.

On July 31st, Austria _for the first time_ in the negotiations agreed
to discuss with the Russian Government the merits of the Servian note.
Until this eleventh hour Austria had consistently contended that her
difficulty with Servia was her own question, in which Russia had no
right to intervene, and which it would not under any circumstances
even discuss with Russia. For this reason it had refused any time for
discussion, abruptly declared war against Servia, commenced its
military operations, and repeatedly declined to discuss even the few
questions left open in the Servian reply as a basis for further peace
parleys.

As recently as July 30th, the Austrian Government had declined or
refused any "direct exchange of views with the Russian Government."

But late on July 31st, a so-called "conversation" took place at Vienna
between Count Berchtold and the Russian Ambassador, and as a result,
the Austrian Ambassador at St. Petersburg was instructed to "converse"
with the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs. This important
concession of Austria was conveyed to Sazonof by the Austrian
Ambassador at St. Petersburg, who expressed

the readiness of his Government to discuss the substance of
the Austrian ultima